NEW YORK – The WNBA’s 2020 season is scheduled to tip off July 25, with all games that weekend dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.
All 12 franchises will play the opening weekend and honor victims of police brutality and racial violence. Team uniforms will display Breonna Taylor’s name. Each player will have the option to continue to wear Taylor’s name on her jersey for subsequent games.
Taylor, a 26-year-old Black EMT, was shot eight times by plainclothes Louisville police officers serving a narcotics search warrant at her apartment on March 13. No drugs were found. Her family and protesters around the country have called for swift action against the officers who shot Taylor.
Additionally, throughout the season, players will wear warmup shirts that display “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back.
“As we build on the momentum for women’s sports and the WNBA from last season, we’re incredibly grateful to our broadcast partners who have shown a continued commitment to bringing the WNBA to fans across the country on their biggest platforms,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.